He represents Chicago, this is likely the best we can do. I don't worry too much about centrists in leftie states (Scott Brown for example). Centrists (or lefties) in conservative states bother me (McCain and Graham are good examples.)
Let's clean out the lefties from conservative states and then add a handful of centrists in leftie states. That could give us 60-70 GOP Senators. Then the Conservative Senators need to manage the centrists better ("We welcome you to our party. We'll work together on stuff we agree on and debate anongst ourselves the things we disagree on. When you join with the other party to defeat our party's initiatives, expect to lose seniority and clout.") Getting over 50 Conservatives is what can make this more effective. Over 60 and it is a slam dunk.
There is nothing about Illinois that makes it inherently immune to conservative Republican candidates. We need to seize control of our own party by insisting that the rank and file be able to REGISTER as Republicans, that primaries be closed and allow voting openly by those who are so registered, and to give the party rank and file and not the self-perpetuating party oligarchy control over choosing party leaders at every level by primary. See S. B. 600 pending in Springfield.
Elect NO squishballs posing as Republicans. Destroy Nancyboy Kirk starting right now. He, Collins, Snowe, Moocowski, Graham and several others need to be purged from the party and from office, even if that means, in some cases, the temporary election of Demonrats.
The purpose of this exercise is not the care and feeding of senior corrupt GOP senators in DC. Giving them a premature opportunity to chair committees is like tempting diabetics with sugar-saturated treats. If we had taken the Senate, then the usual level of corruption in the GOP would have been restored immediately. Trent Lott and his sorry record are not role models for any GOP candidate for whom I would be caught dead voting. Let them starve for another two to flour years until, with Tea Party help, we can purge most of them and hold the rest strictly responsible (and maybe abolish seniority as a basis for rising to committee chairmanships?).
If you think that the senior GOP in the Senate are going to make any RINO/DIABLO responsible to toe the party line on matters ideological, you are kidding yourself. These SOBs despise principle and love graft. See their kid glove treatment of abortion-loving la passionara Moocowski after she was defeated in a GOP primary. Cornyn and Hutchison of Texas need to be replaced. Corker and Alexander of Tennessee. Orrin Hatch needs to go. There are all too many others. Listen to Marco Rubio and Jim DeMint. DeMint said it was too soon for a GOP majority because the GOP from 2011 to 2012 would not be fit to lead as conservatives. Rubio pointed out that the GOP would gain many seats in both houses as an unearned second chance and that a prompt return to corruption as usual and earmarks would guarantee the destruction of the GOP in 2012 and thereafter. He is right and the compromisers and corrupters are wrong.
Getting more than 60 conservatives means getting more than 60 CONSERVATIVES not more than 60 Republicans no matter how poor the quality. We can eject Obamao and elect a bunch of new Republican conservatives in 2012 and again in 2014 and get to the 60 mark if we dare. In 2016, get the stragglers like Nancyboy opr make him go Demonrat to be an easier target for defeat. The GOP brand name is badly damaged in Illinois and many other states and nothing less than a successful intraparty war will ever restore the GOP. If this is worth doing, then it is worth doing all the way. No half way measures, no RINOs, no DIABLOs. Bold colors and no pale pastels.